Help diagnosing ich or velvet. How to treat

[Telle629]

Hi,
I noticed on Thursday last week one of the fish (yellow tang) I bought a month ago out of nowhere just died. Then I saw my blue tang had white spots on him. I started treating with melafix. I don’t think it is working. I have the following in my 75gallon. I don’t have a quarantine tank. None of the other fish have spots. The blue tang is eating and swimming as normal. I had my water levels tested last Saturday they were all in normal range. What is the best way to treat and without killing my corals? Thank you In advance.
2 clowns
1 sand shifting star fish
1 damsel
1 diamond golby
1 tang striped brown and yellow
1 blue tang
1 yellow wrasse
1 snail
1 Xenia coral
1 coral I forgot that it is called.
The first two photos is when it started on Thursday. The last two photos are from yesterday.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi,
I noticed on Thursday last week one of the fish (yellow tang) I bought a month ago out of nowhere just died. Then I saw my blue tang had white spots on him. I started treating with melafix. I don’t think it is working. I have the following in my 75gallon. I don’t have a quarantine tank. None of the other fish have spots. The blue tang is eating and swimming as normal. I had my water levels tested last Saturday they were all in normal range. What is the best way to treat and without killing my corals? Thank you In advance.
2 clowns
1 sand shifting star fish
1 damsel
1 diamond golby
1 tang striped brown and yellow
1 blue tang
1 yellow wrasse
1 snail
1 Xenia coral
1 coral I forgot that it is called.
The first two photos is when it started on Thursday. The last two photos are from yesterday.

These dots are too large to be velvet and likely are mucus cones mixed in with ich which this fish is susceptible to and other fish may or may not show signs. You will want to isolate this fish into a quarantine tank and consider same with others and use coppersafe or Copper Power at therapeutic level 2.25 for a FULL 30 days (do not interrupt this 30 day period) monitored by a reliable Copper Test kit such as Hanna Brand- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off and with occupants exposed, they too should go into quarantine
A quarantine tank can be as simple as a tank from a second hand store or a starter kit from Walmart which most of the needed essentials.

 

[Telle629]

These dots are too large to be velvet and likely are mucus cones mixed in with ich which this fish is susceptible to and other fish may or may not show signs. You will want to isolate this fish into a quarantine tank and consider same with others and use coppersafe or Copper Power at therapeutic level 2.25 for a FULL 30 days (do not interrupt this 30 day period) monitored by a reliable Copper Test kit such as Hanna Brand- No API brand. Also monitor Ammonia levels while in quarantine with a reliable test kit and add aeration during treatment using an air stone.
The display tank will have to be kept fishless (FALLOW) for 6-8 weeks to assure the existing parasites go through their life cycle without a host fish and die off and with occupants exposed, they too should go into quarantine
A quarantine tank can be as simple as a tank from a second hand store or a starter kit from Walmart which most of the needed essentials.

Ok I am going to get a quarantine tank tomorrow. What do I do with my corals? The copper will kill them right?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ok I am going to get a quarantine tank tomorrow. What do I do with my corals? The copper will kill them right?

Leave all inverts and coral in display tank and place fish Only in quarantine tank which is where you will medicate and add no fish to display for at least 6-8 weeks

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The fish could have ich, but both tangs also have head and lateral line erosion (HLLE) and that makes identifying other diseases more difficult because of all the spots and marks sort of mixing together. In addition, as mentioned, blue tangs often develop "mucus plugs" that look like larger ich spots and can actually be caused by ich.

The Melafix is mostly an herbal tonic, unlikely to cure active infections.

Did the yellow tang show any symptoms before you found it dead?

 

[Telle629]

The fish could have ich, but both tangs also have head and lateral line erosion (HLLE) and that makes identifying other diseases more difficult because of all the spots and marks sort of mixing together. In addition, as mentioned, blue tangs often develop "mucus plugs" that look like larger ich spots and can actually be caused by ich.

The Melafix is mostly an herbal tonic, unlikely to cure active infections.

Did the yellow tang show any symptoms before you found it dead?

How do you treat HLLE?
No the yellow tang did not have any symptoms before he died.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

How do you treat HLLE?
No the yellow tang did not have any symptoms before he died.

You'll hear a bunch of "treatments" for HLLE. I've done studies over the years and about 80% of the reported cases where HLLE resolved was seen with moving the fish to a new tank that has never had carbon filtration used on it, and then, only when it is caught really early. Diet (vitamin C or HUFAs), stray voltage and copper have all been ruled out as direct causes.

Here is an article I wrote a few years ago as a synopsis of my research:

Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE)

This article discusses studies performed regarding head and lateral line erosion in captive fishes. Specifically, carbon use and nutrition as they relate to this syndrome.

www.reef2reef.com

Jay